# Empowering a New Generation of Care: Strengthening Youth Mental Health in Mozambique
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Global Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Child Mind Institute and the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions are launching their third cohort of Clinical Fellows in Mozambique.
This fellowship program trains mental health professionals to address the adolescent mental health crisis in a region where access to specialized care remains severely limited. The initiative builds on two successful cohorts and demonstrates a commitment to building local capacity rather than importing foreign expertise.
The fellowship model focuses on clinical training paired with professional development. Fellows work directly with young people while gaining mentorship from established child psychiatrists and mental health specialists. The program emphasizes evidence-based approaches to treating depression, anxiety, trauma, and behavioral disorders in adolescents.
Mozambique faces particular challenges in youth mental health. The country has experienced decades of conflict, economic instability, and limited mental health infrastructure. Many young people lack access to trained psychiatrists or psychologists. Depression and anxiety disorders among adolescents often go unrecognized and untreated, affecting school performance, relationships, and long-term wellbeing.
By training local clinicians through this fellowship, the initiative creates sustainable change. These professionals then serve as anchors in their communities, training other health workers and raising awareness about mental health among teachers, parents, and community leaders.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has invested significantly in global child mental health through the Child Mind Institute. Their approach recognizes that mental health expertise concentrated in wealthy nations does little for children in underserved regions. Training local professionals creates lasting infrastructure.
This third cohort represents progress, but the need remains vast. Mozambique still lacks sufficient mental health services for its youth population. Each trained fellow represents hope for dozens or hundreds of young people